Documentary about 13 grandmothers

Santa Fe Film Festival: Film documents circle of indigenous healers

by Sandra Baltazar MartinezBy October 2004, Jyoti had managed to gather 13 women in New York to form a circle of indigenous healers. They had traveled there from all over the world and created what is now called The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. The grandmothers visited each other's homes in Asia, Africa, Mexico, Central America and the United States. One of the stops in the U.S. included visits to San Juan Pueblo, the Pueblo of Tesuque and Chimayó.

Hart decided to document and film their meetings. Her movie, For the Next 7 Generations, is part of this year's Santa Fe Film Festival. She and her husband, Bruce Hart, have produced other films. They also were among the original writers for Sesame Street.

The 84-minute film captures the interactions of the grandmothers' visits to different countries and tells each of their stories. All of the 13 women believe in Mother Earth and in saving it from human destruction. In their prayers, the women ask for blessings for the next seven generations.Comment:  For more on the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, see 13 Grandmas Accused of Idolatry and 13 Grandmas Solicit Pope. For more on documentaries in general, see Native Documentaries and News.